Bioshock: The Nightmare Returns
by LunarSnow1
Summary: It's the 1990's and Rapture is gone. In its place, however, stands a new Rapture built for the public and fallen to chaos. Within the remains of the rebuilt city lives a young boy named Ken who, after being left with nothing, discovers that he might be the new Rapture's only hope.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Outside

My name is Ken, and I was born in a place called "Rapture". For many years, I had never seen the city outside of my house. All I knew was what my parents had told me. They told me it was once a beautiful place. Rapture was a city built entirely underwater. Before I was born, though, something happened that made it a dangerous place. They never told me what it was, but I'm sure it was for the best. Me and my parents lived in a small house, hidden from the rest of the city. They told me not to leave the house until I was old enough, and they took a gun whenever they left to get things that we needed. I spent my time reading and my parents taught me what they could. That was how it was for the first thirteen years of my life.

I don't think I'll ever be able to forget that day. The day that everything changed. It began just like any other. I woke up and had breakfast with my parents. We usually ate packaged food, as anything else had gone bad long before my parents got to it. One of them would always gather supplies while the other stayed in the house to watch me. They took turns doing so. Sometimes, they would come back wounded, but they always came back alive. I was glad to see them every time they came back. The only light or warmth in the house came from a camp fire in the middle of house. We would put it out at night, and we kept it lit during the day. As we ate breakfast, we sat close to the fire. After breakfast, my dad grabbed a shotgun and peeked outside to see if it was safe. My parents usually kept themselves hidden while doing so. Usually, there was nothing there, but they had to hide just bit more and wait every once in a while. That day, there was nothing close to our house, so he was able to go out right away. As he went out to search for supplies, my mom started my daily teachings. Books were usually part of what was brought back from outside, and I read every one of them. After my dad came back, we had dinner. My parents would bring back what they could carry, but it was usually enough. Me and my parents were very close, and we hardly ever fought. We were just happy to have each other.

We ate dinner, as usual. As we ate, we talked with each other. We usually talked about how our days had been, and about anything else that was on our minds. I enjoyed these talks, as they were some of the best moments we had together. Suddenly, however, my dad stopped eating and raised his head up.

"Wait, I hear something." he said, keeping his voice down. He turned his head towards the door. Me and my mom stopped eating, as well, and turned our attention towards him. My dad then got up from his seat and went over to the door. He put his ear against it and listened for a few seconds. After that, a surprised look appeared on his face and he quickly got away from the door. "Get back!" he shouted. Me and mom quickly got up and moved away from the door with him. An explosion then suddenly blew through the door, tearing a large hole in our house. After the sound of the explosion had cleared from the air, we heard voices yelling beyond the smoke as it cleared, as well. My dad then picked up a shotgun and started shooting as strange monsters started to come into the house. My mom, who had been holding me close, turned me around to face her. A look of worry was on her face.

"Ken, run." she said.

"But, Mom-"

"Run!"

I didn't argue. I ran past the monsters and out of the house as fast as I could. I looked back as I ran and saw my dad toss another shotgun to my mom, which she used to help him fight the screaming mob around them. It was then that I saw one of the monsters sneaking up behind my mom. I stopped running and quickly turned around. My dad then looked over and saw the monster. He stretched his hand out towards my mom, trying to warn her.

"Dear!" he yelled to her. Before she could realize it, though, the monster dug into her neck with a pair of hooks, and tore them out. My mom then dropped her weapon and fell to the floor as a feeling of shock ran throughout my body. I was horrified. My dad then yelled out "No!" before being hit over the head with a pipe and knocked unconscious. After that, the monsters tore into my parents, and tears filled my eyes as I witnessed the scene. I then turned around and ran, trying to get away from the area. I ran as fast as I possibly could. I didn't think I would stop. I didn't want to stop. All I could do was run. Tears flowed through my eyes as I tried holding them back, and I felt like I wanted to die after what had just happened. I couldn't believe it. My parents were dead.

Eventually, my legs were getting sore, so I stopped to catch my breath. My mind was still haunted by what had just happened. I wanted the whole thing to just be a dream, but I knew that wasn't the case. I shivered as I breathed heavily, my eyes stinging with tears. The incident had shaken me more than anything. I felt like was about to throw up. I stood there hunched over with my hands on my knees for what felt like a few minutes. Eventually, I started to regain my strength. It was then that I suddenly noticed a clanking noise starting to fill the air. Though I was still upset, I wondered what the noise was. It sounded like it was coming from behind me, so I turned look. Nothing was there. I turned all the way around as my confusion started to grow. After looking around for a bit, I looked up at the ceiling. My confusion was then replaced with fear as I saw what was making the noise. It was another monster. The monster looked down at me and dropped to the floor as soon as I saw it. It seemed to laugh insanely as it towered over me in an intimidating manner. Its face was hidden by a mask and it bore a pair of hooks on its arms. I could have cried out in terror, but I was too afraid. My body shook with fear. I took a few steps backwards, but I ended up slipping and landing on the wet ground. As I then tried crawl away, the monster got closer to me. Eventually, I stopped and flinched. The monster's cackling only got louder as it lifted one of its hooks in the air, preparing to swing it at me. I was afraid. I felt like my was going to end. I closed my eyes as I waited for the monster to swing its hook and kill me.

What followed, however, was a loud bang. The bang was followed by silence, and the cackling of the monster could no longer be heard. I cracked open one of my eyes to see what was happening, only to open both of my eyes and turn to look up a the monster. A bloody spot appeared on the monster's body as it frozen in place, its arm still lifted up. The monster's laughter had been replaced by soft gasping sounds, as if it were holding its breath. After a few seconds, the monster collapsed to the ground in front of me, dead. I looked up and past the monster's corpse to see if anyone was there. Several feet across from me, I saw a man in trench coat pointing a pistol at where the monster had been. I got my feet, but the man responded by pointing his pistol at me.

"Stop right there!" he called out, startling me. "Don't come any closer!"

I flinched as I let out a week scream of terror. "Please! Don't shoot me!" I cried out. The man lowered his weapon a bit and tilted his head, as if he were suddenly confused. After a few seconds of silence, the man reached into coat and pulled something out.

"Here!" he called out. I put my hands down as he said this. "Catch!" He then tossed the object he had pulled out to me, and I quickly caught it. I was still afraid, but now I was bit confused. "Now, go! Get to somewhere that's safe!" I didn't argue, I just did as he said and ran away.

I had been thrust into the dangers of the city, and it all felt like a nightmare. I was scared, confused, and upset. I didn't know what to do. All I could in that moment was run, and I ran as fast as I could.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Guidance

As I ran through the streets, I frantically looked around for a place to hide. I was still scared, but I was going to do as the mysterious man had told me. Eventually, I saw what looked like an alcove with a counter in its entrance. I went inside it quickly, and ducked behind the counter. As I sat there on the ground, I shook with fear as I attempted to catch my breath once more.

It was then that I remembered the object I had been given. I quickly held it up to see what it was, and saw that it was a radio. It had a single antenna and a clip on its back. Some of my fear turned to confusion as I stared at it. I wondered why it had been given to me. Suddenly, however, the large speaker on the radio's front started to crackle and buzz as it turned on. A faint voice started to come from the speaker as the sounds of static began to slowly fade. As the voice became more and more clear, I began to recognize it. It was the voice of the man from earlier.

"...Hello? Hello? Are you there?" the man said.

I put the radio closer to my face and responded. My voice was quiet and shook. "...Hello...?"

"Are you in a safe place?"

"...Yes..."

"Good. Sorry if I scared you back there. It's been a while since I last saw someone sane down here. Let's start over. My name is Will."

"...I'm...Ken..."

"Nice to meet you, Ken. By the looks of things, I found you just in time. Did you drop your weapon or something?"

"...No...This is the first time I've ever left my house..."

"Wait. So, the city was like this when you were born?"

"...Yes..."

"Hmm... In that case, I think you can help me."

I was surprised by that statement. "...Help you...?"

"Yes. As you've already noticed, Rapture's not the safest place to live. I plan on changing that. I know it's a lot to ask considering we just met, but I can't do this alone. It won't be easy, but I can make it worth your while."

I started to calm down as Will talked. He didn't seem to mean any harm. "...How?" I asked.

"Well, I know you probably don't want to stay down here forever. There's a submarine station somewhere in the city, but it's been closed off for a while. Fortunately, though, I know how to get it open. If you help me, I can make sure that you can escape from this city."

My parents had told me about the surface. They had told me about the blue sky and bright sun. They told me about the wind and the open air. I didn't know if I could trust Will, but I always wanted to see the surface. I thought for a bit, and then I gave Will a response. "What would I have to do?" I said.

"The man who currently runs things in Rapture is Victor Watts. He has the resources I'll need to save this city, but I doubt he'll just hand them over. To make matters worse, I have to constantly hide because he's placed a bounty on my head. In order for me to even begin to change anything and for you to safely escape, I'm going to need you to make your way into his office and...kill him..."

A chill ran down my spine as he said those last two words. "...K-kill him..?" I said nervously.

"Yes... Believe me, if there was any other way, I wouldn't ask you to do something so dangerous. Please... Will you help me?"

I didn't want to kill someone. Just the thought of it horrified me. I wondered if seeing the surface would be worth it. After some more thinking, I responded. "Alright...I'll do it."

"Thank you. I'll explain things as we go, but first thing's first. Rapture is unsurvivable unless you have some means of defense. Try to find some sort of blunt object that you can use as a weapon."

"Alright." I then got to my feet and put the radio on the side of my pants. As I left the alcove, I finally looked around at what the city looked like. The ground was covered in puddles of water, and rubble was lying everywhere. I could see schools of fish swimming outside the windows. The sounds of music and rushing water could be heard in the distance. I looked around for a weapon, and quickly spotted a toolbox. I walked over to it and looked inside to see a wrench. It was bright red and it looked a little old. I picked it up, feeling the cold metal of its handle. I then took the radio and held it up to my face. "I found a wrench."

"Good." said Will. "That should work. This radio I've given you has a tracking device in it. With it, I'll be able to guide you through the city. This way, I can at least be of some help. Now, getting into Victor's office isn't going to be easy. He has a security grid around his office building that' impossible to get past. There's a way to turn it off, though. To do that, you'll need to go to the security control room nearby. According to the map on my master radio, you'll need to go through a few sections of Rapture to get there. The first place you need to go is the business district."

With those words, Will started to guide me, and I followed his directions. His voice was strangely comforting, if somewhat sad. I didn't know how it would all end, nor did I know if Will was who he said he was. If it meant I would see the surface, though, I had to listen to him.


End file.
